The Dialogue between the Church of the G.O.C. of Greece and the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Community of Those in Resistance

Seventh Joint Statement

On Friday August 24/September 6, 2013 in Monastery of Sts. Cyprian and Justina in Phylē, Attica, the seventh meeting occurred of the committees for dialogue between the Church of the G.O.C. of Greece and the Orthodox Community of Those in Resistance.

All of the designated members of both committees were present.

During the course of this meeting, the report continued on the Chronicle of the reaction of the Orthodox to the declining path of Ecumenism in Greece and particularly the calendar innovation.

The discussion was centered on the critical period of the 1960’s, and the study took place particularly on the basis of the committee of Those in Resistance’s relative report which focused mainly on the formation of the hierarchy of the Patristic Calendar during the years 1960-1962, and subsequent progress and development. An attempt was also made to understand the theological and ecclesiastical consequences of these historical events so that the ecclesiological self-understanding of each side may be better understood and that a possible convergence between the two may be found.

From the report and the relative discussion which followed, among other things, important questions arose of a historical nature, and the Church of the G.O.C.’s committee was asked to search its archives in order to further clarify the things which were discussed so that safe conclusions may be arrived at and proposals may be submitted.

The committee of the Church of the G.O.C., while it considered the historical research into its archives useful, at first it expressed objections to this because it will take place hastily due to the short period of time until the next Joint Meeting (September 6/19), however, it finally accepted this effort for the sake of the Dialogue, simultaneously, stating that it considers it important that the flow of the meetings continue based on the agenda which has already been established. The committee of Those in Resistance expressed their complete agreement to this, as long as the critical historical period of the 1960’s is exhaustively investigated, and the anti-ecumenical Chronicle is completed as well.

The next Joint Meeting will take place on Thursday September 6/19, 2013 in the hall of the church of St. Spyridon in Galatsion.

“Trust ye not in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.”
(Psalm 145:3)

We mustn’t have absolute trust in human beings for our salvation, no matter what dignity they have. Human beings are changeable. Today they are saints, tomorrow—deniers. Today—sinners, tomorrow—righteous. We must have absolute trust in God, and in Him we must base our hopes of salvation. “Blessed is he of whom the God of Jacob is his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 145:5).
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Q. There seems to be a lot of variation in how people observe fasting, but my confessor told me to fast from oil on Wednesday and Friday. Oil is a pretty vague category, though, and I was wondering if I could get a more explicit description of what kinds of food and drink are excluded on strict fast days.
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